While many in the industry might have forgotten Epson it seems that the outfit is about to pick a fight with Apple and Samsung. Epson president Minoru Usui accused Samsung and Apple of copying each other, saying most of the components inside their gadgets are the same.

He said that the big tech giants were showing a lack of "originality" and if you opened most devices they used the same parts. Usui was talking about how Epson would soon move beyond its traditional product range to become involved in emerging technologies, such as wearables.

"If you look at products like iPhones or Samsung devices, if you take them apart then you'll find that they're basically all using the same displays, they're using the same batteries, the same condensers, the same parts. Where there's a difference between them is in the design or the software or even just the brand,” he said.

At least Epson products concentrate on "actual originality" and create things that other companies simply cannot, Usui added. Usui said the company was developing 3D printers and wearable health and sports products, and would release head-mounted displays similar to Google Glass. Its 3D printers would be focused on commercial applications – such as in large-scale production environments – and not on consumers